Building a better world
Our undergraduate student, Sandra, talks about actively pursuing her goal of improving lives with sociology
Studying a social sciences subject is a great stepping-stone for those interested in broadening their career horizons and making a positive impact on the world. A fantastic example of a student heading for a bright future is Sandra Kwok. Sandra is in the second year of her Sociology degree, and has successfully secured three prestigious internships in addition to her undergraduate studies.
Alongside her studies, Sandra has found time to pursue another passion of hers, Karate. She has been an Elite Scholarship Athlete of the Hong Kong Karate National Team since 2013, and is a member of the Loughborough Athletic Union Karate Team, gaining double bronze medals at the BUCS Karate Championships 2020.
Sandra has also been busy throwing herself into a variety of other activities outside of her course, all aimed at improving student life and wellbeing on campus. She volunteered as a Peer Mentor and Peer Assisted Learning Facilitator in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, helping first year students settle into University life and study. As the Course Rep for Sociology and the elected Chair for her subject area, she liaised with senior management in the School to ensure the student voice was heard and any problems they were encountering were quickly solved. In addition to these roles, she also worked as a Recreational Sport Research and Insight Officer with Loughborough Sport, which included organising an Inclusive Sports Festival aimed at promoting diversity in recreational sport on campus.
UK government internship
Over the Easter break of 2020, Sandra was selected from over 3000 applicants to take up a place on the Early Diversity Internship Programme with the UK government.
This entailed passing four online tests and an hour-long telephone interview which she did with the help of the Careers Network at Loughborough. As part of this programme, Sandra benefitted from opportunities to network with her fellow interns and senior figures in the civil service, as well as attending sessions lead by inspirational speakers.
The reason I applied for the Early Diversity Internship programme was because I want to bring change to people’s lives. It was a precious opportunity to work in the government where different research is carried out to influence decisions and policy. Moreover, I want to have a taste of working in the government.
UNICEF summer internship
In the summer break of 2020, Sandra was awarded a position as Summer Intern at UNICEF in Hong Kong.
During the height of the pandemic, she was able to gain hands-on experience in public relations as well as working on the front-line delivering hygiene packages to households in need in Hong Kong.
Studying Sociology helped me understand the world better from a societal perspective, gaining a deeper understanding of the impacts and underlying causes of social issues. Therefore, I saw the UNICEF internship as a precious opportunity to work in an NGO where different research is carried out to influence policies and the welfare given to people.
During the internship, I administered the ‘For every child, hygiene’ Programme, a local response to support grassroots families affected by COVID-19. I offered support with various tasks: I assisted in developing tactics to boost engagement with grassroots families, handled home visit scheduling with grassroots families, and helped in administration related to project operation. The programme delivered masks and cleaning products to over 4000 households with children in need.
I gained hands-on experience in public relations through collaborating and communicating effectively with NGO representatives. My team-working skills enhanced through working collaboratively with senior and junior staff in the Department of Advocacy and Public Relations in a fast-paced environment. I also gained more profound insights into Hong Kong’s social issues, which has inspired me to build a better world for children.
Plans for the future
For summer 2021, Sandra has been offered a place as an intern in the Hong Kong Civil Service.
Inspired by her experience at UNICEF, and her time studying Sociology at Loughborough, she plans to continue to work to build a better world and tackle social issues to improve lives. Having also discovered a passion for social research on her degree, she is also considering the possibility of going on to study for a PhD after graduating from her undergraduate course.
If you want to bring positive change to society, Sociology is the course for you. Even if you have not decided on your career path, Sociology will equip you with a variety of necessary workplace skills.
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